William s



(No Model.)

. S.. GRAY.

MEANS FORVIEVE EXTINGUISHMENT 0F FIRES. No. 357,987.

//V VENTOR lill N, PETERS Flmm-ulmgnphor. Wmhington. l1 C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. GRAY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF 'IYVOJIHIRDS TO FRANK GRAY, OF SAME PLACE.

MEANS FOR 'THE EXTINGUISHMENT OF FIRES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,987, dated February l5, 1887.

Application filed March 12, 1835. Serial No. 158,572. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, VILLIAM S. GRAY, of the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Means for the Extinguishment of Fires, which invention or improve ment is fully set forth and illustrated in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to that class of drypipe extinguishing apparatus in which the water is admitted to enter the pipes in the building for the extinguishment of fire by the melting of a solder in a joint or orifice, fused by the heat of the incipient fire itself.

lThe object of this invention is to provide a means of retaining` the water to be used for the extinguishment of rc in the pipes outside of the building until required for use, when, upon the breaking out of a tire, the Water is permitted to enter the pipes within the build ing, to be distributed upon the fire, which means shall be effective for such purpose under a pressure never exceeding that of the at mosphere, no mattei' what may be the head of the extinguishing column ot' water.

The invention consists of an air-exhausted chamber and an air-exhausted pipe or pipes connected thereto, in combination with a hold` ing and tripping mechanism for both excluding the Water from and admitting the water to the distributing-pipes Within the building.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a general view showing the complete construe tion of an operative apparatus. 'Fig 2 is a View in vertical cross-section of one of the nipples containing solder fusible at a low temperature, which melts When exposed to the heat of an incipient iire and admits air into the air-exhausted pipe, destroying the partial vacuum therein.

In said gures the several parts are indicated by letters as follows: A, the water-main near its entrance into the building; B, the vertical continuation of said pipe or rising main pipe Within the building; C, a distributing` pipe for one room or compartment, running overhead near the ceiling.

Within a suitable chamber, E, between the pipes A and B is the water check-valve ori stopvalve D, held tight in its seat, and cxcluding the Water from the pipeB by the pawl or catch a,pivoted at band engaging the shoulder c in the stem d of the valve D. Said stem is guided in the top or cover of the chamber E and in the frame F above said chamber. In said frame F, upon a pin or stud, e, is pivoted the toe g, provided with the ball G. Tapped into the frame F is a bushing, h, below the chamber I-I, the top or cover or' which chamber covers an india-rubber diaphragm, I, secured between the flange f of said cover and the ange i on the bottom of the chamber H by ordinary bolts and nuts,4w,as shown in the drawings. Within the chamber H is the bolt K, Whose head is made to neatly lit the rubber diaphragm I, and is secured thereto by a bolt passing therethrough and washer, or by a nut and washer, as at w. The body of the bolt K passes down through the bottom of the chamber H and through a guide, k, below said chamber. The stem or body of the bolt K is slotted at the point w, and in said slot is the latch y, Whose hooked end passes through said slot, the hook catching in the bottom of the slot The other end of said catch is pivoted to a lug, t', on the boss u of the toe y. The ball G being secured to said boss, said ball is thus held in its elevated position so long as the bolt K remains elevated; but when said bolt is depressed the latch y is released and the ball G falls, raising the toe g, which thereby trips the catch or pawl a. Connected to chamber H above the diaphragm I is the small pipe or tube L, also connected to the air-pump M. From said pipe L rises a similar pipe, l, with branches m an running above and near the water-distributing pipe C. The pipe m m is provided at its ends with the nipples n n, having orifices sealed with solder, as seen at o, Fig. 2.

The pipe C is provided -with sprinklerheads or distributers N N, for spraying the extinguishing-water in any suitable manner. Said heads N are also provided with solder in some commonly-practiced manner, which seals them closed until said solder melts. It desired, an alarm may be attached, consisting of a gong, l?, and hammer p, operated by a pin, q, and worm-wheel r, said wheel being operated by a worm, s, on the vertical shaft of a small water-wheel or turbine or other watermotor within the box or casing It. Said casing receives its water for operating its inelosed motor (not shown) through the pipe tfroin the water main B, and discharges said water through the outlet or waste pipe v. I do not, however, conine myself to the use of this or any other alarm apparatus, nor do I make any claim thereto herein, either per s@ or as herein used and applied.

The complete operation of this apparatus is as follows: rihe air-pump M being worked by means of its handle O, air is exhausted from the chamber II and the pipes L lm m until the vacuum-gage T shows as good a state of exhaustion as the pump is able to obtain. The rarefaction thus obtained in the chamber H causes the diaphragm I to be pressed upward by the atmosphere, and with it is also raised the bolt K, the slot c in which catches and holds the latch y of the toe g, and keeps said toe clear of the pawl e, which, as already explained, securely holds closed the valve D. The apparatus is now set and ready to do its work whenever a ire should occur. Upon the outbreak of a hre the solder in one or more of the nipples a will melt, usually a little previous to the melting of the solderin the heads N, because smaller in bulk and nearer the ceiling, where the heat is usually greatest, at least at first. As soon as the solder in any one of the nipples a melts, air rushes into the pipe m, down the pipe Z, and into the chamber II, destroying` the vacuum therein. rIhe atmospheric pressure upon the diaphragm I, which pressure holds the bolt K up, being thus removed or equalized, said bolt falls, rcleasing the latch y and the ball G, the fall of which ball immediately causes the toe g to rise and to throw the pawl a out of engagement with the shoulder c of the valve stem d, whereupon the water pressure under the valve D opens said valve, rushes up the pipe B into the distributing-pipe C, and out of the distributer head or heads N upon the incipientlre, the solder in the heads N having already been melted, as before explained. As soon as the water rushes up the pipe B it will operate the alarm I by rapidly striking its gong with the hammer p, as already explained. Vhen it is desired to reclose the valve D and shut off the water against its pressure in the pipe A, the valve D may be so closed or forced to its seat by any suitable devicesuch as a hand lever or screw-secu red to the frame Il, I make no claim to any such device,as being nothing more than an ordinary mechanical convenience.

Among the advantages of this apparatus may be mentioned the facts that with compressed air, (which I am aware has heretofore been used in the dry-pipe system.) should a leak occur, even a small though troublesome leak, such leak is much more difficult irst to find and next to stop, because all the pressure is outward; but where the pressure is inward, as

with this vacuum device, not only may a small and troublesome leak be more readily discovered by the use of a small lamp-flame, but such leak may be stopped by the application to the pipes of liquid paint, or some such material, by brush or otherwise, which, being forced inward by the external atmosphere, will fill up and close the holes or imperfections of metal or joint into which it is so forced. Again, where the air is compressed in the pipes, there is no limit to which such compression niay not be carried short of the breakage of some of the parts, or the rupturing of the soldered joints consequent upon such pressure; but with the most careless attention it will be impossible with this apparatus to exceed the pressure of the atmosphere upon any of its parts, as the pipes are only exhausted of air, as hereinbefore described.

A great advantage of the vacuum system over the air-pressure system is that if the airpressure pipes are subjected to much variation of temperature the air-pressure in the pressure-chamber will also considerably vary, rising as the temperature rises and falling with the temperature, due to the proportional expansion and contraction of the compressed air, whereas with the vacuum system no increase .or decrease or" the state of exhaustion is perceptible, due to any change in density of the small quantity of air remaining in the vacnum-chamber.

Of course this apparatus may be used as non-automatic by leaving the sprinkler-heads open,or detaching them and omitting the nipples a, or closing their apertures and substituting therefor a common plug-cock or other hand-operated plug or valve, which, when opened by hand, upon an alarm of lire, will ad mit air to the vacuum-chamber, and thus by tripping the holding device release the water stop-valve and liood the pipe C c, when the water can pour out of the sprinkler-head apertures for the extinguishnient of the fire.

I do not conline myself to the use of separate or independent air-pipes-sueh as l m m-as such pipes may be dispensed with, if desired, in which case the pipe L will be pro- IOO longed, as shown by the dotted lines j, so as to y connect the air-pump M and chamber H with the main rising and distributing pipes B C.

I do not eonine myself to any particular form of air-pump or exhauster, and should the air-pump used such as M-at any time become injured or inoperative, avacuum may be obtained in the pipes in a very short time by illing them with steam, and thus expelling the air therefrom, when by closing the pipes and allowing the steam to condense a fair degree of rarel'aetion or exhaustion will be the result.

I do not herein claim any special form of holding or tripping device for the valve D; nor do I conline myself to the use of any particular form of either said valve or said deice; but,

I-Iaving thus fully described my improven ment in means for the extinguishment of fires, chamber or pipe is destroyed said stop-valve 1o as of my invention I claimis released and water admitted from the sup- In a fire-extinguishing apparatus7 in connply-pipe to a discharge-pipe for the extinbination with an air-exhausted chamber and guishment of fire, substantially as and for the pipe provided with a closed aperture or aperpurpose set forth.

tures fitted to open for the entrance of air, a XVM. S. GRAY. Watersupply pipe provided with a stop-valve7 Witnesses: and a holding and tripping device for said FRANCIS P. REILLY,

valve7 whereby when the exhaustion in said JOHN TULLY. 

